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Required Courses for All Doctor of
Ministry Students
DM 9014. Project Prospectus I
(Project Topic Seminar)
A
seminar for first year Doctor of Ministry students designed
to develop a formal topic proposal for the student’s
intended professional project practicum and project thesis.
One and a half term hours. Required of all D.Min. students.
DM 9019. Project Prospectus II
(Prospectus Seminar)
A
seminar for the second year Doctor of Ministry students
designed to develop a formal professional project prospectus
for the student’s intended professional project practicum
and project thesis. One and a half term hours. Required of
all D.Min. students.
DM 9370. The Person and the Role of
the Minister
An integrative approach to personal
and professional issues in ministry.
The purpose of this course is to enable
the individual to develop a clearer sense of self as this
affects the role of minister and to learn an integrative
approach to personal and professional issues in ministry.
The course will cover three areas: self-understanding, role
understanding (office, gifts, and call) and the integration
of the two. Three term hours. Required of all D.Min
students.
DM 9380. Seminar in Practical Theology
This seminar is designed to enable the
participants to read, reflect upon, and formulate
conclusions concerning the field of practical theology and
its relationship to one's practice of ministry. Three
term hours. Required of all D.Min students.
DM 9396. Doctor of Ministry
Practicum
The Project Practicum is the supervised
experience in ministry in an approved setting during which
the ministry project proposed in the prospectus is
implemented. Three term hours. Required of all D.Min
students.
DM 9398. Doctor of Ministry Project
(Thesis)
Building upon the Project Practicum the
written Project Thesis is a contribution to the
understanding and practice of ministry through the
completion of doctoral-level project/ thesis. Required of
all D.Min students. Three term hours.
Regular Course Options
DM 8049. Full Time Graduate Status
No term hours.
DM 9303. Preaching from the Bible
An
exegetical-expository study of a book of the Bible with
reference to pulpit proclamation. Three term hours.
DM 9307 Conflict Transformation in
Congregational Life
This seminar will explore conflict in
congregational life, assist the participants in developing
their own theoretical and theological understanding of
conflict, and offer some practical tools to address
conflict. Three term hours.
DM 9308. Making Sense of the American
Spiritual Landscape
A
critical overview of the trends that shape the American
spiritual landscape and their impact, providing students
with historical, sociological and theological tools to
understand and evaluate those trends. Three term hours.
DM 9309. Strategic Planning in the
21st Century: Open Space Technology,
Self-Organizing Systems, and Healthy Congregational Life
The
purpose of this seminar is to explore leadership, healthy
congregational life, and planning for the future in light of
some of the principles of self-organizing systems. Open
Space Technology is a simple process that uses
self-organizing principles to develop strategies for the
future. We will use Open Space Technology as a way of
experiencing and exploring the principles of self-organizing
systems and their implications for strategic plans,
leadership, and healthy congregational life. Three term
hours.
DM 9311. Eschatology and the Practice
of Ministry
A
study of eschatology in past and present expressions of the
Church’s life with special concern for the impact of
contemporary eschatologies on the practice of ministry.
Three term hours.
DM 9314. Spiritualities and Mission
This
course looks at the mission of the church in the light of
different modes of spirituality. Due emphasis will be given
both to contemplative and active approaches, and attention
will be paid to key texts. Three term hours.
DM 9323. Theology Between God and the
Excluded: Challenges to the Church in the Twenty-First
Century
A
comparison of major modes of contemporary theology in light
of the church’s location between God and the increasing
numbers of persons excluded from the resources of life. The
course will work towards the development of new constructive
and inclusive theological paradigms for ministry. Three term
hours.
DM 9324. Religion, the Church and
Aging
The
study of the aging population and the roles that religion
and the church play in the lives of older persons. This
course will explore sociological and theological foundations
including current theories of aging, socio-demographic
factors, key life events, and significant resources,
including the church and religious faith. Three term hours.
DM 9332. Theological Foundations for
Evangelism
An
overview and examination of some of the foundational themes
and concepts in the contemporary debate about the nature and
scope of evangelism. Texts from a variety of perspectives
and ecclesial locations will be read and evaluated in order
to develop a critically-attained vision of evangelism for
the modern church. Three term hours.
DM 9334. Reaching the Unchurched
To
develop an understanding of the principles of church growth
in order to develop strategies for reaching the unchurched
that have theological integrity and practical effectiveness
in one’s setting of ministry. Three term hours.
DM 9335. History of American
Christianity
A
study of the significant historical forces which have shaped
the character of religion in the United States, with a
review and critical evaluation of major themes and issues in
our history which have brought us to the place we are
today. The objective of the course is to provide a fresh
insight into the mission of the Christian church as it
begins a new millennium. Three term hours.
DM 9336. Preaching from the Bible:
Job
An
exegetical-expository study of the book of Job with
reference to pulpit proclamation. Three term hours.
DM 9336. Preaching Biblical Wisdom in
a Self-Help Society
A
study of the major themes of biblical wisdom literature
compared and contrasted with contemporary secular wisdom
themes geared toward lively, faithful preaching on wisdom
texts. Three term hours.
DM 9337. Creative Sermon Design
An
exploration of four creative options for sermon design:
inductive, complication/resolution, text-shaped, and
narrative. The course will explore the biblical,
theological, pastoral and liturgical implications of form.
Learning will be achieved by reading and reflecting on the
works of contemporary homiletical proponents of various
forms, listening to and by preparing and preaching three
sermons in class, with peer/professor feedback. Three term
hours.
DM 9339. Contemporary Approaches to
Educational Ministry
This
course intends to examine the contemporary themes that guide
the field of Christian Religious Education and identify
evidence of these themes in the Church’s practice of
educational ministry. Participants will critically examine
major texts and approaches proposed by major thinkers. We
will scrutinize theoretical and historical aspects of
contemporary themes in light of educational practices that
we observe in congregations. Emphasis will be given to the
contemporary theme of “social transformation.” Three term
hours.
DM 9340. Black Church in AmericaThis
seminar is a study and appraisal of selected topics in
African American Christianity in the United States. The
course will combine historical studies and contemporary
ministry concerns pertinent to the Black Church as well as
the broader Christian community. Three term hours.
DM 9341. Into the Future: Evangelism
and Postmodernity
Understanding the ministry with the context of postmodern
culture. This course will be a critical evaluation of the
conflicting accounts of postmodernity and their implications
for evangelism. Attention will be paid to key texts and
students will be encouraged to concentrate on evangelistic
strategies into the third millennium. Three term hours.
DM 9342. Evangelism and Modern
Culture
Understanding the ministry of Evangelism within the context
of modern culture. The course will concentrate on three
themes: the content of the gospel, the contemporary context
of the gospel, and communicating the gospel in modernity and
postmodernity. Attention will be paid to key texts and
students will be encouraged to evaluate both the gospel in
the light of modern culture in the light of the gospel.
Three term hours.
DM 9343. Christian Education in an
Urbanizing World
An
exploration of the distinctive Role of Christian education
in helping the church develop new paradigms for justice
ministries in an urbanizing world, with special attention to
the role of faith-based community development corporations
and faith-based community organizing. Three term hours.
DM 9344. Music in Worship and Renewal
This course will focus on recent trends
and resources on music and worship in order to gain a
historical perspective and greater understanding of the
nature and role of congregational song in worship and ways
to improve congregational singing. Three term hours.
DM 9346. Urban Ministry: Contexts and
Strategies
An
examination of the contexts and strategies appropriate for
urban ministry in the 21st century. Focus will be
on models for understanding the relationships between
congregation and community in cities, but attention also
will be given to broader national and global forces
operating in specific urban settings. Three term hours.
DM 9347. Congregation and Community:
Contexts for Ministry
An
examination of the foundations, strategies, processes, and
implications of contextual analysis for ministry in the 21st
century. Focus will be on models for understanding the
relationships between congregation and community at the
local level, but attention also will be given to broader
national and global forces operating in local settings.
Three term hours.
DM 9349. Models for Ministry in the
Old Testament
The
course objectives are:
To examine the primary
responsibilities and roles of various religious leaders in
Ancient Israel, as they are reflected in the various
biblical witnesses and from contemporary socio-historical
perspectives. To explore how those religious
responsibilities and roles influenced and impacted upon each
other historically. To explore how these religious and
ministerial roles are similar and different from the roles
accepted and expected by modern Christian pastors and lay
leaders. To reflect upon how the particular roles of
“Priest”, “Prophet”, and “Sage” (as they are represented in
the Old Testament) may or may not represent valid models for
modern Christian ministry. Three term hours.
DM 9350. The Social Ministry of the
Church
An
examination of the foundations, strategies, and
manifestations of the social ministry of the church.
Attention will be given to models of social ministries at
the local church level as well as non-parish models of
response to the social environment. Three term hours.
DM 9351. World Religions and
Christianity
A study of world religious traditions,
their interaction with Christianity, and their implications
for the mission and ministry of the church in the
contemporary world. The course examines the global context
of ministry, including themes such as poverty and
socioeconomic injustice, the ecological crisis, and cultural
and religious diversity as issues for theological reflection
and interreligious cooperation. Three term hours.
DM 9352. Contemporary Moral Issues
A
study of selected moral issues concerning such subjects as
abortion, crime and punishment, the environment, sexuality,
war and peace, and others. Each issue studies will be
examined in relation both to moral-theological questions and
to the morally relevant circumstances. Three term hours.
DM 9353. The Practice of Evangelism
A
critical examination of fundamental features of evangelistic
practice as related expecially to the ministry of evangelism
in the local church. Particular attention will be given to
the following: evangelistic preaching, faith sharing,
catechetical instruction, Christian initiation, and the
equipping of the local church members for the tasks of
evangelization. Attention will also be given to the working
of the Holy Spirit in evangelism. Three term hours.
DM 9354. Faith and Money in
American Culture
This course is designed to explore issues of faith and money
in the cultural context of the United States and to develop
a personal and corporate theology of financial stewardship.
Three term hours.
DM 9356. Popular Piety in the
Ministry of the Church
This
course examines the phenomenon of popular piety as it is
manifest in selected historical and cultural contexts with
the intention of enabling you to discern the forms and
significance of “people’s religion” in your context of
ministry. The instructor will use certain manifestations of
popular piety in Mexico and the Southwest as a device fro
provoking the formal questions of definition and theological
significance that are relevant in any context of ministry.
Three term hours.
DM 9358. The Relevant Church
A
critical examination of the evangelistic outreach of the New
Testament communities. Focus will be given as to how the
three communities represented in the writings of Luke, I
Corinthians, and The Pastorals each addressed the needs of
its cultural environment. Special attention will be given to
the identification of the cultural and contextual issues,
the strategy of the writer in addressing those concerns, the
impact this strategy had upon the community’s message,
catechesis, and community self definition. The participants
will learn to identify and clarify the contextual concern
and response of each writing through the use of social
science models in order to evaluate and develop an
intentional outreach and discipleship program in their local
parish. Three term hours.
DM 9359.Understanding Congregations:
An Introduction to Congregational Studies
A
critical introduction to the field of congregational studies
through theory and practice. Particular attention will be
given to a set of lenses for the analysis of congregations,
enabling discernment, appreciation, and understanding of the
unique styles, strengths, dynamics, and resources of faith
communities. Three term hours.
DM 9359. Evangelism and the Logic of
Renewal
A
critical examination of various proposals for the renewal of
the church that have emerged over the last generation and an
exploration of their significance for the revitalization of
evangelism in the twenty-first century. Three term hours.
DM 9364. Christology and Ministry in
the Gospels
Three term hours.
DM 9366. Youth Ministry: The Practice
of Ministry with Teenagers
This
course intends to provide participants with the necessary
conceptual and practical skills for developing and
implementing an effective youth ministry from a theological
perspective. This means psychological, sociocultural, and
educational components are to be informed and grounded in
the theological understanding of youth ministry, thus a
Practical Theology for Youth Ministry. Although the primary
focus will be on the church’s ministry with, to, and for
youth in rural, urban, and suburban settings, some
consideration will be given to youth social agencies. Three
term hours.
DM 9367. Spirituality and the Life Cycle
This
class is designed as an introduction to the psychological
and theological/spiritual issues pastors will encounter in
working with individuals in various life stages. These
issues include such things as the development of a spiritual
voice, individual and community spiritual quests, the
intersections of culture, psyche, and religious experience,
individual vocational calling, and personal struggles for
freedom from oppressive cultural/religious contexts. In
addition, the church's role as promoter and inhibitor of
spiritual/emotional wellbeing through the life cycle will be
explored. Three term hours.
DM 9368. Ministry of Spiritual
Guidance
Three term hours.
DM 9369. Leadership in Church and
Community
The
course is designed to define leadership and study it as a
discipline in the church and community. A variety of
sources and models will be presented. Special emphases will
be given to the leader’s role in planning and in personnel.
Leadership institutions and speakers in the Dallas area will
be included in the class. Through the class the students
will be focused on their own disciplines of leadership for
the next decade. Three term hours.
DM 9371. Spiritual Traditions and World Religions
The course will guide Doctor of
Ministry students toward an experiential appreciation of key
facets of Christian spiritual tradition, and will also offer
an introductory study of spiritual practices found in major
world religious traditions that may serve as resources for
spiritual direction in a multi-religious society. Three term
hours.
DM 9372. Speed-Dating Spirituality:
Ministry with Young Adults.
This seminar is a theologically
critical exploration of the intersection between popular
culture and the spiritual beliefs, values and practices of
young people ages eighteen to thirty from diverse social
contexts. Three term hours.
DM 9375. The Pastor as Seer
Three term hours.
DM 9383. God, Faith, and Dreaming in
America
Three term hours.
DM 9384. Faith Development
Three term hours.
DM 9388. Clinical Pastoral Education
Supervised pastoral experience approved
by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.
DM 9390. Directed Studies
Three term hours.
DM 9393. D.Min. Reading Course
Three term hours.
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